September 12, 2010

That's right, folks. I have a masterful command of not one, not two, but THREE languages. Four, if you count Pig Latin. Pretty impressive, right?

Okay, so maybe masterful is the wrong word. Maybe I only know a few phrases here and there. I'm the most familiar with Spanish, having taken it throughout high school and college. Party days in those classes almost always involved tres leches cake, and that was awesome. I enjoy the unique, uber-moist and squishy texture of the stuff. That said, when I saw Mel's version flavoring it with my beloved coconut, I marked it down.

I loved this cake. I'm a fan of how it dissolved in my mouth and flooded my taste buds with coconut flavor; however, I can understand why some people might not particularly enjoy the mouthfeel of a tres leches cake. It is fairly weird. This would be a good dessert to make for someone who, say, recently had their wisdom teeth removed. I'd describe it as walking the line between cake and pudding, which is no mean feat!

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and aside. Prepare the cake mix according to box or recipe instructions and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the milk syrup by mixing the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, milk, and extracts until smooth.
Pierce the cooled cake all over the top with the tines of a fork or a thin wooden skewer. Poke it good--the more pokes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake. Using a large spoon or ladle, spoon some of the milk syrup over the cake. Let the syrup soak into the cake, then continue spooning the syrup on top until all of it has been used up. When you have finished, not all of the syrup will be completely absorbed and might be pooling on the top but that’s okay--it'll absorb eventually. Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until all of the syrup is absorbed, 2 hours. Before serving, spread the Cool Whip across the top and sprinkle with the toasted coconut, if desired. Note: This is one of those cakes that just gets better with time--pace yourself.

It's really a lovely cake, Grace. I've made Tres Leches several times from a recipe given to me by a Cuban friend which I was sold on mainly because one of the milks used was condensed milk (I feel the same way about that as you do cinnamon!).But I really think adding coconut and coconut extract would be merveilleux, maravillosa and just plain perfect in any language.

You crack me up. Have I mentioned that? I was just trying to teach pig latin to my six-year old yesterday convincing him it would make him the coolest kid in 1st grade. He didn't buy it and instead just shot me weird looks while I was saying "AcksonJay EanClay OurYay OomRay!"

Love that you loved this cake and I will forevermore refer to it as the "Wisdom Teeth" cake.

Wow what an awesome looking dessert! I have heard so many good things about tres leches cake but I'm just scared it will be to soggy for my liking. I'm really weird about soggy stuff. Also I took four years of Spanish in HS and still do not know enough to get me through a conversation. I should have paid more attention to the lessons instead of daydreaming.... :)

Hubs and kiddos are linguistically challenged. So, to "translate" something into German, they say "Der ___ful". Spanish is always "El ____o". As for me? Well, if I think long enough, I might remember some high school French. More likely not.

Oh pig latin!! I-ay orgot-fay about-ay at-thay. I remember speaking it to my mom when I was in elementary school and I thought she was so cool for understanding it haha. I am loving this tres leches cake! I've made it once before but this coconut version sounds even better!

Hi Grace! I am finally sitting down! I have been on a whirl-wind since school has started which has taken me from reading all my favorite blogs. Now this is a great cake. And way yes to all that coconut and coconut cream! Have a great day!

Ah, I love travel. It gives me the chance to rape a complete stranger's language and grate on their eardrums with my screwed up tenses and flailing genders ;-) The recipe looks awesome - the coconut does it for me too!